02 / PERMITS
Choose the product for the actual load.
Oversize and overweight are different fee paths.
Louisiana publishes an oversize permit at $10 per day/per trip. The overweight single-trip price depends on gross vehicle weight and mileage; listed oversize dimensions are included without an additional oversize charge. The overweight product applies to indivisible loads and is valid for five days.
The route and trip pattern still matter.
Same-day empty equipment movements and repeated overlength trips have specific product conditions. Do not assume one permit covers a changed origin, destination or a second overwidth trip. Match the planned work to the permit description before deciding which cost belongs in the quote.
03 / ESCORTS
A height pole and a utility truck do different jobs.
Check each height threshold.
A height-indicator vehicle is required above 15′10″ on the state-maintained system, with an Interstate-only exception. Utility-line lifting provisions begin above 16′8″. Bucket trucks apply above 18′ and may be required lower. These are different duties; a height pole alone does not authorize lifting a line.
Width and length can require separate escorts.
Private escorts apply over 12′ through 16′ width and over 90′ through 125′ length. State Police escorts apply above 16′ width or 125′ length. Local police, road class and the permit's conditions can add requirements; confirm positioning and arrangements for the entire move.
04 / TRAVEL
Check the approach to the jobsite.
An Interstate lane does not describe the last mile.
The regulation book sets metropolitan curfews and Mississippi River bridge restrictions, with additional night, holiday and weather conditions. A load leaving the Interstate for a plant or delivery site can encounter different escort and road-owner requirements. Check the actual roads and permit window, including pickup and delivery access.
05 / FEES
Keep the agency estimate separate from support costs.
Quote the loaded vehicle and the Louisiana miles.
For an overweight move, provide gross weight and the distance traveled in Louisiana. Cargo weight by itself leaves out the equipment. Use the calculator to carry those assumptions into the state breakdown, then obtain any required escort or utility support separately.
Calculator fee reference: Louisiana DOTD 2026 truck regulations — overweight schedule 3
BEFORE DISPATCH
Match the paperwork to the move.
- Confirm deck height, dunnage and the highest point of the secured cargo; use actual loaded height when available.
- Identify the roads leaving the Interstate and the exact site access.
- Separate height-indicator, utility-line and police requirements before requesting support.
The issued permit controls the authorized vehicle, load, route and travel conditions. Check current closures and the pickup and delivery approaches. A planning estimate does not approve clearance or replace the permit.
SOURCE RECORD
Go straight to the authority.
ODPermit prepared this guide with AI-assisted review of the official sources below on . This is a dated planning reference, not agency approval or an independently certified legal review. Source dates and the roads, product and load covered by each rule matter.
- Louisiana DOTD truck permits
Permit program, product navigation and LaGeaux entry
Official page checked September 7, 2026 - Louisiana DOTD single-trip permits
Oversize and overweight products, fees and permitted trip conditions
Official page checked September 7, 2026 - Louisiana truck, vehicle and load regulations
Printed pages 35–38 and 60–61: escorts, pole/bucket trucks, travel and placement
DOTD 2026 regulation book; official PDF checked September 7, 2026